''Rattus Norvegicus'' (alternative title ''The Stranglers IV'') is the debut studio album by the Stranglers, released on 15 April 1977. It was one of the highest-selling albums of the punk era in Britain, eventually achieving platinum record sales. Two of its tracks, " Peaches" and "

(Get A) Grip (On Yourself) "Grip", or "(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)", is a single by the Stranglers from the album ''Rattus Norvegicus''. The Stranglers' first single, it reached number 44 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by Hugh Cornwell, and featured steel mill ...

", were released as

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

s in the UK.

Background

The album was originally going to be titled ''Dead on Arrival'' but it was changed at the last minute. The ''Stranglers IV'' prefix was a deliberate attempt by the band to cause confusion. The released title is the

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

name for the common brown rat. The album was produced in one week by Martin Rushent and was a snapshot of the band's live set at the time. The first 10,000 copies of the original vinyl release included a free 7-inch single, containing "Peasant in the Big Shitty" (live) and "Choosey Susie". The album launch party was held in the Water Rat pub on the King's Road, in the World's End district of Chelsea. Remastered versions of the album were reissued on CD in 1996, 2001 and 2018, and included additional tracks.

Lyrics

According to the book ''The Stranglers-Song by Song'', " Sometimes" describes a violent argument with a girlfriend. The same girlfriend is the subject of " Strange Little Girl" which was written earlier by Cornwell and Hans Wärmling. " Goodbye Toulouse" describes the destruction of

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

predicted by Nostradamus. "London Lady" is loosely based on a contemporary female journalist, and " Hanging Around" describes the characters found in the London

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

where the band performed. In 1981, it was covered by

Hazel O'Connor Hazel Thereasa O'Connor (born 16 May 1954) is a British singer-songwriter and actress. She became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles " Eighth Day", " D-Days" and " Will You?" She also starred in the 1980 film '' Breaking Glass''. Caree ...

on her third album, '' Cover Plus'', and released by her as a single that same year. "(Get a) Grip (On Yourself)" is based on the band's life in their Chiddingfold squat. It features Eric Clarke, a Welsh coal miner friend of the band's manager Dai Davies, on saxophone. "Ugly" mentions the poem '' Ozymandias''. "Down in the Sewer" has four sections: "Falling", "Down in the Sewer", "Trying to Get Out Again", and "Rat's Rally". The 'sewer' refers to London. Lyrically the song references an episode of the 1975 post-apocalyptic BBC TV drama '' Survivors'' titled "Lights of London", where the protagonists leave the safety of a farming community to head for the city, which they find can only be entered through a rat-infested sewer.

Reception and legacy

''Rattus Norvegicus'' was ranked at No. 10 among the top albums of the year for 1977 by ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', with "Peaches" ranked at No. 18 among the year's top tracks. ''NME'' later ranked it at No. 196 on its 2014 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2000, ''Rattus Norvegicus'' was voted number 766 in

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along wit ...

's ''

All Time Top 1000 Albums ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'' is a book by Colin Larkin, creator and editor of the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. The book was first published by Guinness Publishing in 1994. The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by the ...

''. It was also included in Robert Dimery's ''

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...

''. During promotion of ''

The Head on the Door ''The Head on the Door'' is the sixth studio album by English rock band the Cure. It was released on 30 August 1985 by Fiction Records. Preceded by the single "In Between Days" which had reached No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart, ''The Head on the D ...

'' in 1985, Robert Smith of

the Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...

cited ''Rattus Norvegicus'' as one of his five favourite albums.

Track listing

;Free single ;1996 CD reissue bonus disc (EMI) *Disc one as per original album ;2001 CD bonus tracks ;2018 CD reissue bonus tracks ( Parlophone) * Live at The Nashville pub in

West Kensington West Kensington, formerly North End, is an area in the ancient parish of Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, England, 3.4 miles (5.5 km) west of Charing Cross. It covers most of the London postal area of W14, includin ...

, 10 Dec 1976

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Singles

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album liner notes. ;The Stranglers * Hugh Cornwell – guitars, lead and backing vocals * Jean-Jacques Burnel – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals * Dave Greenfield –

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

( Hammond L100 Organ,

Hohner Cembalet An electric piano is a musical instrument which produces sounds when a performer presses the keys of a piano-style musical keyboard. Pressing keys causes mechanical hammers to strike metal strings, metal reeds or wire tines, leading to vibrations ...

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument which produces sounds when a performer presses the keys of a piano-style musical keyboard. Pressing keys causes mechanical hammers to strike metal strings, metal reeds or wire tines, leading to vibrations ...

Minimoog The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...

synthesizer), backing and lead vocals * Jet Black –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

;Additional musicians * Eric Clarke –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

("(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)") ;Technical * Martin Rushent –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

* Alan Winstanley –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

* Doug Bennett – mixing engineering * Benny King – mixing engineering assistance *

Vic Maile Vic Maile (1943 – 11 July 1989) was a British record producer. After starting his career as sound engineer with Pye mobile studios for the Animals on their song "We Gotta Get Out of This Place", Maile worked with some of the biggest names in th ...

(with the

Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

Mobile) – engineering ("Peasant in the Big Shitty") * Barry Cooder – remixing ("Grip '89") * Taff B. Dylan – remixing ("Grip '89") * Trevor Rogers – sleeve photography * Paul Henry – sleeve design, art direction

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * *

External links

*
Stranglers early success: the making of Rattus Norvegicus/No More Heroes; interviews with J.J. Burnel and Jet Black plus publicist Alan Edwards, producer Martin Rushent, music writers Chas de Whalley and Barry Cain
{{Authority control The Stranglers albums Albums produced by Martin Rushent 1977 debut albums United Artists Records albums A&M Records albums Art punk albums